The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) has participated in a major safety and security course at INTERPOL's headquarters in France.

Along with representatives from numerous international sporting bodies, including FIFA World Cup™ and Olympic Games organisers, an SC delegation travelled to Lyon for a three-day scenario-based course.

Co-organised by INTERPOL's Project Stadia and National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security, the course aimed to enhance law enforcement capabilities and best practices in tackling large-scale incidents during major national and international sporting events. Topics covered included criminal disorder, violence, cyberattacks and terrorism.

Project Stadia, which is funded by Qatar, was established by INTERPOL in 2012. It was set up to create a centre of excellence and good practice platform to help INTERPOL member countries plan and undertake security and cybersecurity preparations for major sporting events.

Speaking at the conference, Janet Williams, the SC's National Security Advisor, said Qatar is benefitting from the experiences of other countries.

"This is part of an ongoing training programme that involves representatives from many countries, including Afghanistan, Fiji, America and France," said Williams. "We're getting the experience from all these countries so we can learn from it and put it to good use in 2022 and build a legacy for Qatar and the world."

Williams said it was vital Qatar shared knowledge and expertise with countries who host major sporting events. Representatives from 27 nations attended the course to look at operational, tactical and strategic incident management planning, crowd and evacuation management, and crisis communications.

She continued: "We're getting a lot of different perspectives. People are telling us what they're finding on the ground, the tactics they're using and operation imperatives. All of these are absolutely fundamental when you're planning a major sporting event. Everyone is learning a great deal and will no doubt put the knowledge to good use in their own events."

In November, the SC and INTERPOL will host the '1st Major Event Safety and Security Conference' in Doha. Participants will review the global threat environment, its implications for the security of future major public events and event critical infrastructure resilience.

Williams described the conference as a stepping stone for further development for Qatar's security bodies.

She said: "The intensity of the relationship between INTERPOL and the SC is growing and that's rewarding for everyone involved, including the countries and experts we share knowledge with. The level of trust and depth of conversation is really fruitful.

"The conference in November is another stepping stone to further development. It's another chance for Qatar to learn from the international community and showcase what we have done so far.

"We want to highlight our achievements, discuss what we still need to do and show that we are learning. I believe this will build confidence in the international community and hopefully lead to advocacy about Qatar and its promotion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup."